Anyway, I had gone back to Kings Cross the Monday following our party and saw Jen (England) and Hyphy Jamie eating at the Sugarmill. I sat with them and talked for awhile then Jen mentioned Thanksgiving and asked if we were still having our dinner. I stared at her in aw because I really hadnt remembered inviting everyone over. I asked her how many people said they had wanted to come and she told me that pretty much everyone had said they would. I looked at her and my mouth dropped. How were Katie and I going to feed all these people?! I asked her if she knew how to cook a turkey and unfortunately she said that she did not. But then she told me that I had asked Ali (Katie and my old roommate from the Pink House who went to four years of culinary school) to help me. He had said that he would. At least when im slightly intoxicated I make sure to cover all the bases.
When I got home I asked the girls if it were ok if everyone still came over, realizing at that point just how much work it would entail. They said it was fine and then Jenah told me that Sarah had actually gone around at our party and had been telling everyone they are coming over for Christmas...looks like we're covering all the holidays. I called Ali and he said that he would still come over and help cook. THANK GOD.
We went shopping the next day and it took forever deciding what we were going to have because we had some vegetarians and we didnt want to spend a ton of money. The final menu came out to:
Turkey (duh)
Mashed potatoes, or just mash as everyone else says (duh)
Stuffed bell peppers
This tuna mixture Ali devised that was delicious and I hate tuna
and Louisiana Katie brought a peach apple crumble. Danny made this chocolate crunch thing and Knute made Pecan Pie minus the pecans. I dont know how that worked out but it was really good.
On Thanksgiving Jenah,Sarah and I woke up and peeled the potatoes and Britt (Ali's girlfriend) and Ali came over at like 1:00. The three of us went shopping and got some bread and spinach to make a spinach dip, and some other stuff. When we got back to the apartment I had expected to be put to work as did Sarah and Jenah. However, Ali pretty much just kicked us out of the kitchen and literally did EVERYTHING. I felt so bad becasue that really wasnt my intention. I thought we were all just going to be his slaves as he delegated from the living room. Every time one of us would walk in the kitchen and ask if he needed help we would get the stare of death.We would then quietly retreat back to the living room with our tails between our legs realizing we were not helping, just being a constant irritant. It was probably better this way...So, Britt, Sarah, Jenah and I played Jenga in the living room. I lost. Shaky hands.
Katie came home from work at about six and at this point we were all kind of waiting for everyone to show up. Dinner wasnt until about 830 because a few people had to work. When Danny and Knute showed up with dessert it was about the sweetest thing ever. Neither of them seem the type AT ALL to cook...let alone bake. We were all quite impressed, especially since it was so good.
By 8:45 everyone was there, in total about 20 people smashed into our hot, little apartment. Aw. Everyone was starving and by the time everything was done people were in the living room acting as if they were five wondering where dinner was and when we were going to eat etc etc. When the food was finally served silence filled our humble abode. Ali could not have done a better job cooking for so many people in our kitchen that has NO counter space. The turkey was super moist, the bell peppers were perfect, and the mashed potatoes tasted just like my grandmas. I was pleased as punch. A dinner that had taken 6 hours to cook plus 2 hours of shopping took about 6 minutes for everyone to eat. It was like no one had had a real meal for months (which for some people might actually be true). A general overview....
Naturally, after we ate we started drinking. It wasnt at all like our party it was more laid back and we sat around talking and playing a little King's Cup. At this point I started inviting the girls over for "Girls Night Saturday", surprising? I think not.
After awhile there was a pounding at our door. We all looked at each other knowing we were going to get yelled at by someone. Katie, our diplomat, went to answer it. She talked to someone outside for quite awhile. When she came back in she kind of "popped her collar" and said something along the lines of "No problem, its all taken care of". Apparently when Katie opened the door there was a man there (YES, the same man who had been staring into our window) and he took a few steps back down the stairs and said "You guys are being so loud! My wife's pregnant and our neighbors have two kids keep it down!" and was pretty much just yelling at my dearest Katie. Katie, like a real champ, kept it together and apologized, telling him that we would of course turn the music down and keep people quiet. All he had to do was come over and ask. After she finished talking he looked at her and said "Oh where are you from?" and she told him "America..." and then he started having a nice conversation with her asking what part because as it turns out hes from Illinois. Once he realized the Irish girls were no longer living there he became quite pleasant. USA USA USA. Then he left and Katie came back in and we carried on.
It turned out to be a fantastic Thanksgiving and everyone had a really good time. Success. If anyone is wondering what we have been eating the past few days...the answer is clearly mashed potatoes. More information on girls night to come :)
xoxo
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